


Spilt Coffee

by dip_the_pip



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Fluff, M/M, University Student Dan Howell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-22
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-03-08 00:37:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13446792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dip_the_pip/pseuds/dip_the_pip
Summary: Uni student Dan, being the nightowl he is, has a habit of studying at a cafe in the middle of the night to escape his busy house on campus. The cafe is cute and quiet, and all the barista’s are sweet to him, including the one with the free cookies.





	1. Free Cookies

“Medium Chai Latte please.” The university student said with a forced smile, a backpack slung over his shoulder.

The middle-aged woman nodded and punched in the order. “Little early for a latte, isn’t it?”

The student shrugged, chuckling awkwardly and fiddling with some change, handing it over to her. “Or a little late.” Or a _lot_ late, Dan, you doorknob. Who goes to a coffee shop at 3am?

The woman shrugged and handed him the latte and his change. “To each their own, I suppose. Have a good night, love.” She said with a smile and went back to cleaning.

Dan took his drink and went to a booth in the corner of the coffee shop. He plunked down in the booth and pulled out a text book, a notebook, and his laptop. After taking a few moments to untangle his charger and plugging it into the wall and his laptop, he took a breath and opened his latte, taking a tiny sip and hissing when the scolding liquid hit his tongue. “Fuckin’ hell…” He mumbled, setting his drink back down and opening his laptop, opening the slideshow presentation for tomorrows class. He plugged his headphones into his laptop and put on his studying playlist of instrumental music as he began to take notes.

He had done this a few times. The café he was currently sitting in was 24 hours, but it usually died down around 10pm. It was easier to study here, though. And with midterms quickly approaching, he needed to prepare more now than ever. He had a horrible habit of going home after his lecture and having a nap until dinner time, eating an unhealthy amount of pizza, pasta, or whatever other comfort food he could get his hands on before he’d go out drinking with his housemates or go back to bed and settle in for a night of Netflix.

After a while though, Dan had started to fall behind. He struggled to keep his marks up but could never muster up the motivation to actually do any work while at home, because why would he study or make up note when there’s a perfectly comfortable bed?

He had tried a few things, like locking himself out of his bedroom and doing his work at the dining room table. And while that worked to keep him from napping, he couldn’t resist the urge to rummage through their cupboards and fridge for snacks. So, in the end, it proved to be just as bad as working in his bedroom. Plus, all of his housemates liked to be loud in the kitchen, doing shots on Monday nights, all taking turns with the beer bong on Wednesdays, or getting blackout drunk on Fridays. There was always someone there to disturb Dan’s peace. Though Dan couldn’t really complain, they all lived there too.

He wished he had tried harder to convince his parents to let him get his own flat, but since they offered to pay for his entire first year of university, it was cheaper for him to live in the university’s residence instead of off-campus. Plus, if he lived on his own, or even with one or two other people, chances are he would’ve been even worse with his procrastination issues than he already is.

Dan was happy when he discovered the little café, though. It was quiet after it’s busy hours, and had a nice atmosphere. The baristas were always kind, one in particular liked to throw in a chocolate chip cookie for free since by the time Dan goes in to study, they have to throw out all of the baked goods due to health regulations. Dan always happily accepts it, since there’s never anything wrong with them.

The café was small, but adorably home-y. There were a few light brown booths along the back wall which were usually occupied by university students needing to charge their laptops as they rushed to finish their essays. There were tables scattered throughout the little coffee shop too, with uncomfortable metal chairs that sat a little too straight up for Dan’s liking. But overall, everyone who he had interacted with that worked there were sweethearts, and never judged him for walking into the café in the middle of the night with a bag full of work.

Dan crossed his legs in the booth and stared blankly down at his notes, seeing the words he had written but not understanding a single thing. He read over them a few times and went back to the text book and slideshow, but all of the information just kept going over his head.

_This is why you should pay attention in class, dumbass, you can’t teach yourself the entire curriculum at 3:30 in the morning. Are you crazy?_

Dan sighed heavily and glanced at his phone, deciding he had earned a few minutes of twitter scrolling. It wasn’t his fault he didn’t understand what the hell he was being taught.

He paused his music and sipped his latte, his few minutes of twitter scrolling turning into nearly half an hour. Dan finally looked up from his phone when he heard the jingle of the front door open and saw a tall, lanky boy stumble through the door.

“Hi Marlene! Sorry I’m late, I couldn’t find my left shoe.” The boy told the lady at the counter. Dan raised an eyebrow and glanced at his feet, seeing him wearing a black sneaker on his right foot, and a blue and red pair of converse on his left foot. Dan let out a quiet giggle as he went back to reading over his notes, eavesdropping as best as he could without being obvious.

“How the hell do you lose _one_ shoe?” The lady, Marlene, asked. She began untying her work apron, raising an eyebrow towards the disheveled boy.

“Po stole it! I have no idea where he hid it.” He said as Dan saw him walk to the back of the café. He returned a moment later with his apron on, his cheek going red. Probably from the difference of temperate from outside to in the café, Dan figures, or maybe just from embarrassment.

“Then why didn’t you just wear another pair of shoes instead of two different ones?” She asked in disbelief, chuckling and shaking her head.

The boy’s eyes widened as realization washed over him. “Dammit…didn’t think of that. See Marlene! This is why you should move in with me!”

“No way. I have three kids of my own who drive me crazy enough. I don’t need you too, Philly, let alone Po. I like having matches to all of my shoes.”

He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, fixing his messy fringe before going to wash his hands. “Fiiine, whatever.” He whined with a pout.

Marlene smiled and grabbed her coat, heading for the front door. “Dylan will be here for the rush at 6. See you tomorrow.”

“Bye Mar!” He said, waving enthusiastically as Marlene left.

Dan glanced up and smiled at the boy behind the counter. _Free cookie barista!_

The student quickly finished his latte and threw away the cup before going up to the counter with a shy smile. “Hey, could I get a medium Chai latte?”

Phil smiled brightly. “Chai can do that for you!” He turned and went to make it as Dan facepalmed, giggling quietly to himself. Phil glanced back at him and smile. “At least _someone_ can appreciate a good pun!”

Dan shook his head in disbelief, sighing with a few chuckles. “I don’t know if I appreciate it, I think it just hurt me so badly that I had to laugh. It’s like a shady taco place. It might taste horrible and do miserable things to your insides, but you’ll still go back because there’s no other taco shops around.”

Phil raised an eyebrow in confusion, taking Dan’s change for the latte. “Oh no are you talking about that place on third street? That place gave me food poisoning four times before I decided to stop going. But there’s this rea-”

“No no, I’m not, I,” Dan laughed again, covering his face with his hands and taking a deep breath, giggling. “I don’t need taco recommendations. But thanks. I was just comparing your bad pun to dodgy tacos.”

“I’m hurt that you think my pun was bad. You’re lucky I didn’t put a dodgy taco in your latte!” Phil said with a small smile, handing over the latte and change.

Dan smiled brightly and went to sit back down in his booth, slightly disappointed that he didn’t get a free bakery treat for his sweet-craving belly, but he figured it was probably for the best. He crossed his legs in his booth and replied to a text from one of his roommates asking where he was and if he was okay, he lied, of course, saying he had gone to a bar with a few guys from his program. It was a load of bullshit, but he didn’t need 7 other people finding out his secret hideaway.

Dan put his phone on silent and put his headphones back on, continuing to attempt taking notes, knowing he was getting nowhere. Another half-hour passed before he was pulled out of his trance by a body plopping down in the booth across from him. Dan glanced up and pulled his headphones off. “Hello?”

Phil smiled awkwardly. “Hi! Sorry, I know you were busy, I’m sure you don’t need the distraction, but uh, I brought you a cookie!” Dan quickly smiled, closing his laptop and setting his headphones down and accepting the cookie from the barista. “Marlene threw out all of the extras before my shift, so you get the freshly baked cookie!”

Dan grinned and took a small nibble from the cookie. “It’s still amazing. Thank you.”

“What are you studying?” Phil asked curiously, leaning over to read Dan’s notes upside down. Dan wiped a few crumbs from his chin and mumbled around a mouthful of cookie.

“Aw!”

Phil giggled, handing him a napkin from his apron. “Law, was it? That sounds…interesting.”

Dan rolled his eyes and wiped his mouth with the napkin. “It’s the most mind-numbing thing I’ve ever been subjected to. I rather pull my brain out of my ear with a rusty hook.”

Phil’s eyes widened in concern before glancing down at the notes and text book again. “If you don’t like it so much, why are you studying it?”

Dan sighed and closed his text book, leaning back into the seat and letting his posture drop. “Because I had good enough grades throughout school, so why not?”

“But you don’t enjoy it?”

“Not one bit.”

Phil’s mouth twisted in a bit as he thought, glancing over the pages of notes Dan had sprawled over the table. “That doesn’t seem enjoyable.” He stated, crossing his arms over his chest.

“When is schooling ever enjoyable?” Dan asked, taking another bite of his cookie with a huff.

Phil shrugged a bit. “I enjoyed school. Well. Uni. I loved it, actually.”

“What did you go for?”

“Language and Linguistics, and then went back for post-production.”

“Well that sounds a hell of a lot more fun than law. But I mean…no offence, but you work at a coffee shop.”

Phil chuckled deeply, leaning back into the caramel coloured booth seat now too, shrugging. “You have a point. But I enjoy what I do. And I use both of my degrees in other ways.”

“How so? Professionally writing coffee orders?” Dan said sarcastically, finishing his cookie and fiddling with his pencil.

“Ha, you’re hilarious.” Phil said with a little eyeroll and a giggle. “No, I make YouTube videos. I write the script and then do all the editing junk. That’s mostly just for fun though.”

“YouTube? Really? You went to Uni to be able to make slightly better YouTube videos?” Dan asked with a raised eyebrow. He had watched his fair share of youtubers, he always saw it as an escape from law, but he knew he would never be able to make YouTube videos and be taken seriously as a lawyer.

Phil rolled his eyes and shrugged. “I enjoy what I do, so I don’t care. Be nice, I brought you a cookie.” He teased lightly as he stood up from his seat, grabbing the cookie plate. “Enjoy your studying, I’ve got to go clean before the rush at 6.” He smiled before walking back to the kitchen of the café.

Dan sighed, feeling horrible for possibly insulting the barista who gave him free cookies. He continued working for a little bit longer before he could hear the city coming to life as the sun rose. He packed up his books and laptop, slinging his bag over his shoulder and throwing out his coffee cup.

“Have a good day!” Phil called out.

“You too!” Dan said quickly, leaving as a grumpy looking business man walked in and went to order his coffee. He quickly went back to his residence and locked himself in his room, dropping his bag onto the floor and pulling the blinds closed. He didn’t have class until 1pm, so he decided to get a few good hours of sleep before class.


	2. Coffee Chats

Weeks passed, midterms came and went, and Dan still regularly went to the café in the middle of the night. He had gotten to know his favourite barista more and more with each visit, and left early on the nights that Phil didn’t work. A few unproductive nights, Phil finished his shifts just as Dan arrived to study, which resulted in Phil staying behind after his shift and sitting with Dan, rambling about new episodes of shows they had bonded over.

Dan whined loudly. “Phiii-iil! I haven’t watched it yet!”

“Well why not?” Phil asked in disbelief. “It was so amazing!”

The younger boy rolled his eyes, leaning back into the booth seat. “Because I’m a busy Uni student! I don’t have time to watch my shows!” He said with more of a whine, pouting.

Phil chuckled. “Oh yeah, ‘busy Uni student’, that’s why you spend your days sleeping and then spending your nights cooped up in this place, huh?” He asked with a playful smirk.

“Shut up! Uni has probably gotten a shitton more difficult since you graduated, _old man_!”

“Hey! I only _kinda_ old! Also, I can’t wait until you’re a lawyer who uses ‘shitton’ in court. You’re gonna do great!” Phil teased, his face scrunching up as he giggled and his tongue poked out from his teeth.

Dan threw a small piece of his muffin at the older boy, giggling. “You’re just a big bully, aren’t you?”

Phil shrugged, giggling softly and picking up the piece of muffin off of the table and eating it. “Oh yeah, just the meanest person you could ever possibly meet!”

“I don’t doubt it, honestly.” Dan smiled a toothy grin, his eyes drifting down to the table and running over his text book that he hadn’t even thought about since Phil finished his shift and sat across from him. “Don’t you have something better to do? I mean, you aren’t in school anymore. You should take advantage of the fact that you can sleep.”

Phil shrugged and picked at his own muffin. “Home isn’t as fun as it is hanging out here with you.” He said with a shrug. “Doing YouTube means I don’t get out much besides when I work here or when I hang out here with you. Or when I get my dog.”

“Dog? Now you have me interested.” Dan said, pushing his text book aside and leaning his elbows on the table, propping his head on his hands and smiling at Phil.

Phil chuckled and leaned back in his seat. “Yeah. Dog. His name is Po, well, his name is something else but my boyfriend hated it, so he goes by Po.” Dan could feel his heart sink, not realizing that there was always the potential that Phil could’ve been in a relationship. Why hadn’t he mentioned him before? Why did Dan even care? Phil was older and more mature anyways, he’s already finished school, how was Dan so oblivious to realizing that Phil probably had higher standards. Probably like being finished University. Of course, he had a boyfriend.

Phil kept his eyes trained on Dan closely, a small smile forming on his lips as he could see the gears turning in the younger boy’s head. “We are broken up. About a month ago. But, this has confirmed my suspicions. Daniel has a crush!” Phil teased, reaching over to playfully poke Dan’s cheek.

Dan glared back at Phil, swatting his hand away as a soft blush came upon his cheeks. “Shut up! I do not!”

“Oh, _please_ Dan! I could practically see the light leave your eyes!” Phil giggled, holding his stomach as he laughed. “Oh, you’re so precious!”

Dan blushed harder and huffed, beginning to shove his books into his bag. “Ass.”

Phil giggled and grabbed Dan’s wrist gently. “Hey, hey, I’m not making fun of you.” He said softly, smiling. “I wouldn’t have pointed it out if I didn’t feel the same way.”

Dan stopped what he was doing, staring blankly at the table. “Wait, you…you feel the same way?”

Phil let go of Dan’s wrist and chuckled, sitting back and nodding. “I don’t sit in a random café at 4am for everyone, you know.”

Dan slowly relaxed as his blush faded. He sat up straight again and chewed on his bottom lip, staring at the wall behind Phil. “But…I’m just a stupid kid.”

“You’re in University for Law. You aren’t stupid. And your intelligence level has nothing to do with how I view you as a person.”

“We barely know each other…” Dan said, barely above a whisper, his heart beating quickly.

Phil smiled softly. “Nothing has to happen, D. Just because we know we have feelings for each other doesn’t mean anything has to start. We can still be friends. I’m not dropping to one knee, I’m not expecting us to run away and elope. They’re just feelings.”

Dan nodded a bit and visibly relaxed more, a shy smile on his lips. “Damn, I was totally hoping you’d choose run away and elope.”

Phil laughed and reached to grab Dan’s empty plate from his muffin, standing up. “How about dinner, instead?”

“I uh…I’m a Uni student, Phil. I don’t really have the money to be going out for dinner…” Dan said softly, fiddling with his fingers. “Or nice clothes…or people skills.”

Phil grinned and walked back over after he put the plates on the tray, sitting across from Dan again and leaning forward. “Great. Me neither. So, I can cook! Or I mean…attempt to cook. And we can play video games or something.”

Dan slowly began to smile. “That sounds absolutely wonderful.”

Phil reached to grab Dan’s phone off the table and put his number into it and texted himself. “Perfect, I’ll text you. I gotta head out though. I have to get the dog at 6.”

“Get the dog?”

“Yeah, my ex and I share the dog. Kind of like sharing custody of a child.” He said with a shrug, smiling. “I’ll see you soon, Dan.”

“See you soon Phil.” Dan said softly and watched the older boy walk out of the café. He looked down at the new contact in his phone and felt himself break out into a grin as he read the name:

Phil <3


	3. Cheesy Pizza

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I update Addicted To You more often, but those chapters are shorter!! Hopefully the longer chapters of this make up for the lack of updates!!  
> Let me know what you think! <3

Pets? -P

I mean, I have none since I’m on campus, but my family has a dog -D

Name? -P

Dan…? -D

No dummy, the name of the dog -P

Oh! Colin! -D

I already like him more than you :P -P

TAKE THAT BACK!! -D

Neveeeer! -P

Fine fine fine…. Any siblings? -D

One brother, Martyn -P

Neato Burrito -D

Wtf was that -P

What??? -D

“neato burrito” -P

Oh, idk, it’s just something I say?? -D

Nerd. You’re gonna make the BEST lawyer -P

I am eye-rolling so hard right now you don’t even understand. Who knows if I’m even gonna become a lawyer -D

Well what else would you do with your LAW degree? -P

Well I have to actually finish school first, so who knows if that’s even gonna happen -D

Dan, you are so damn smart, of course you’re gonna finish -P

Yeah, I guess. I think I’m gonna head to bed, I’ve got an 8am class, plus I have a hot date tomorrow night ;) -D

Damn he’s one lucky guy! Have a good sleep then! -P

You too, philly -D

* * *

 

Dan sighed and rolled over, stretching out as much as humanely possible to grab his charger and plugging in his phone. It probably would’ve been easier to just get up and grab it, but that would involve having to get up.

He laid on his back again once his phone was charging, and stared at the ceiling. He was going to Phil’s tomorrow night for dinner and some video games. As excited as he was, he was still scared shitless. They had been texting the last few days non-stop since they had exchanged numbers, getting to know each other from their favourite colours to where their dream trips were. Surprisingly, they had both said Japan. Dan didn’t know if Phil had just agreed with him to make him happy, or if it was really true. What if he was just tailoring his personality so Dan would fall for him more? Phil seemed too perfect to _actually_ want a guy like Dan, right? He was older, done university, had a job like he enjoyed, and made YouTube videos for fun on the side.

Dan was just a kid, brand new to the “real world”. He was still a teenager. No Job. Nothing that amazing. He didn’t even know if he was going to become a lawyer, because all he’s been thinking about since his second week of school was how to drop out. He hated Law. He did not enjoy it at all, and when he spoke to his parents about taking another year off, or changing programs, they just shouted at him since they had already paid so much for his tuition for Law. He was trapped with no possible way out, and his only distraction from his impending doom of school and a future, was Phil.

Phil had only been around for a little while, Dan still barely knew him, but he was already closer to Phil than he was with the people he shared a damn house with.  They just automatically clicked, Dan had known that since the first few times they had sat in the café together chatting for hours on end. All Dan could think about in his lectures was the next time he was going to get to text Phil without being interrupted by teachers or classmates.

Dan eventually put Youtube on and shut his brain off, letting himself drift to sleep.

 

* * *

 

Dan was knocking on Phil’s door, 45 minutes past the original time he planned to be at Phil’s apartment. Phil opened the door, a smile plastered to his face. “Hey! I’m glad you made it!”

“I am so fucking sorry, Phil. My lecture ran late and then my phone died and then my bus got delayed because of an accident so I ordered a cab but it couldn’t get to me because of the accident and-“

Phil chuckled softly and pulled Dan in the door as Dan kept rambling. Phil stepped behind him and pulled Dan’s jacket off, hanging it up, a huge grin still on his lips. “Dan, in the nicest way possible, please shut up.” He said with a soft giggle. “You made it here, and that’s what matters. I saw about the accident near the University on the news.”

“I’m nearly an hour late…” Dan said softly, looking up at Phil through his fringe that had began to curl from the rain.

“And that is okay. It gave me extra time to throw out the _wonderful_ dinner I made for you and order a pizza.” Phil sighed dramatically, pulling Dan towards the lounge.

“Wait, you threw out the food you made for us? Phil, fuck, I am so so sorry! I didn’t mean to make you think I was cancelling, fuck…”

Phil giggled and sat on the couch, opening the pizza boxes.

“Though that pizza does smell amazing…”

“I threw out the dinner I made so you could actually have something edible. I tried making spaghetti and garlic bread.”

“…How was it not edible? How could you possibly fuck up spaghetti and garlic bread?”

“Look. I didn’t go to school to become a master chef. I overcooked the noodles, undercooked our meatballs and then burnt them trying to finish cooking them, and the garlic bread was uh…slightly expired and a little green.”

Dan let out a laugh, almost sounding like he had the wind knocked out of him. He sat on the couch next to Phil and held his stomach, folding in half as he let out laughs so hard that he could barely breathe. “Wh-a-a! Phil! How the hell did you fuck up _that_ badly?” He managed to get out, his voice high pitched and breathless.

Phil giggled and put a few slices of the meat lover’s pizza on his plate. “Sure, like _you_ are perfect when it comes to cooking.”

“I know how to _perfectly_ make a piece of toast, and honestly that’s all I need to survive.”

“Toast, and free pastries from the café.” Phil pointed out, a mouthful of pizza.

Dan blushed softly and put a few pieces of pizza on his plate. “Hey, in my defence, I don’t ask for them. You give them to me.”

Phil rolled his eyes and elbowed him playfully. “You get really pouty and look so sad when you don’t get a damn cookie, Howell. And you _complain_! Hold shit, whenever I come to sit with you, if I don’t have a cookie, you make it known that you are a _starving uni student_.”

“I _am_ a starving uni student! All I know how to cook is toast, remember? All my other meals are from the café or takeaway.” Dan giggled and relaxed more into the couch against Phil.

Phil relaxed into the couch alongside Dan, turning on his Netflix. “Sure, sure,”

 

* * *

 

A few hours passed, they watched a few episodes of FRIENDS, they played some Mario Kart, then they got set up to watch a movie. Dan was getting comfortable with a few pillows and throw blankets as Phil walked in with two bowls of popcorn. “Alright, so I’ve got sweet and salty, and plain butter. We can keep it plain butter, or I have some flavourings.”

“Ooh do you have cheddar flavouring?” Dan asked, shoving a few pieces of the sweet and salty popcorn into his mouth.

Phil made a face, moving the popcorn into Dan’s lap. “No. I’m not about that cheese life.”

“Are you serious?” Dan asked in disbelief.

“What?”

“You literally had pizza earlier tonight.”

“Pizza is different.”

“How?”

“Um…I don’t know? It’s just got other stuff too! It’s got other food to cover up the gross cheesiness! Bacon and pepperoni and beef!”

Dan laughed softly, shaking his head and eating a few more kernels. “Okay, you disgrace to humanity, what _do_ you have then?”

 

* * *

 

Eventually they settled with dill pickle flavouring as they settled in to watch The Titanic movie. They managed to finish both bowls of popcorn and slowly gravitated closer to each other, Phil eventually wrapping his arm around Dan’s shoulders as Dan laid his head on his chest, feeling exhausted after his busy day at school.

They fell asleep like that, Dan curled up against Phil, his head eventually finding its way nuzzled against Phil’s neck as Phil wrapped Dan up completely in his arms, embracing the boy close.

Dan briefly woke up in the middle of the night, his neck beginning to cramp. He pulled away from Phil slightly and moved to lay down on the couch fully. Phil followed close after and got comfortable beside him before beginning to spoon him, his arm wrapped around Dan’s middle, holding him close against him and easily drifting back into a peaceful sleep.


	4. Puppy Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> look at me updating this for the first time in like, 5 months. Whoops!

Dan felt a heavy weight on him. It wasn’t heavy enough to be Phil, Dan thought. The weight wiggled around and managed to squeeze its way between Dan and the warm body Dan was cuddled up to, before he felt a warm, wet tongue beginning to lick his face. “Wha-” he mumbled, his voice thick with sleep. The moment he spoke, the wiggler between them began to wiggle more. He slowly opened his eyes, immediately blinded by a big white mass with bright blue eyes and a slobbery tongue.

“Po, down!” Phil’s voice came suddenly, giggling and gently shoving the white fluff away from their faces.

Dan sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and groaning at the kink in his neck from the awkward angle he slept in. “Oh my gosh, I forgot about the dog!”

Phil grinned and gathered the fluff ball into his lap, scratching behind his ears. “Calm down, Po. It’s just Dan, don’t worry, bub.” He held the dog to his chest, burying his face into the squirming dog.

“Holy shit, that is the cutest damn dog I’ve ever seen!” Dan reached out slowly towards Po’s mouth. The dog sniffled his hand for a moment before licking at his fingers and wriggling more in Phil’s arm.

Phil finally released Po, and he quickly climbed into Dan’s lap and began licking at Dan’s face as he laughed and buried his hands into the soft Dog. “Don’t say that too loudly, all the attention and praise goes straight to his head!”

“You’re a good boy! Yes, you are, aren’t you? Such a good, good boy!” Dan cooed, like he was talking to a baby. “What breed is he?”

“He’s a white Husky.”

“Oh my gosh, so he’s gonna get huge!”

“No, actually. He was the runt of the litter, he’s done growing. He’s an old man, too! Nearly 6 years old.”

“Have you had him since he was a pup?”

“No, I’m not even technically suppose to have a dog. I get sniffly and my eyes itch, but Po is worth it. I had seen a Facebook post about him from a local shelter. He had been in and out of that shelter 4 times with 4 different families who just couldn’t handle him and give him the love and attention he needs, and they were going to have to put him down. So, I went that day and adopted him. It was about a year ago, so he would’ve been 5-ish.”

Dan smiled as the dog began to relax, curling up between the two boys with his head on Dan’s thigh and looking up at him and giving him a look that was the definition of puppy-dog-eyes. “That’s such a wonderful thing to do. My family’s dog is adopted too.”

Phil smiled and reached over to scratch behind the dog’s ear. “I’m gonna take him for a quick walk. Feel free to have a shower or something if you’d like.”

Dan slowly got up from the couch, stretching his arms above his head and yawning. Phil’s eyes followed, raking up his slim figure before letting them drop back down to the thin bit of tummy revealed from under his shirt. He quickly looked back up to Dan’s face, cheeks pinkening. “Thanks, but I should head back to my dorm, really. I gotta study and clean up around the house, because my roommates are useless human beings.”

“How far is your place from the café?”

Dan shrugged. “I dunno, like, less than 5 minutes?”

Phil grinned brightly and stood up, too. “Perfect! Then Po and I can walk you home!”

“How long is the walk?”

“Well from here to the café is about a 25 to 30 minute walk, depending on how much energy Po has.”

Dan sputtered. “You’re expecting me to walk a half an hour to get home? Oh, hell no!”

Phil rolled his eyes and grabbed a collar from under the coffee table and putting it on Po’s neck. “Oh, hell yes! Plus, it’s extra time you can spend with me!”

Dan shook his head but chuckled lightly. “Fine, fine. But I’m only doing it for Po. It’s been way too long since I’ve had some quality dog time.”

* * *

Half an hour later, the boys were sitting outside on the café patio. Phil had run inside and grabbed them hot chocolates, leaving Dan outside with Po, who was happy to have a new friend to give him lots of attention and good pats.

They sat outside the café for much longer than planned, their drinks long gone and Po asleep under the shade of Dan’s chair.

“Wait, wait, wait. So, you’re telling me that Kellogg’s _actually_ sent you a Lion onesie to promote their Krave cereal? What the hell did you do to make that happen?”

“Believe it or not, I am a cereal enthusiast and admirer. My subscribers know that, so I’m sure Kellogg’s caught wind of that and decided some weirdo British dude could promote their cereal.”

“Okay, but why a lion?”

“Oh, Dan, there is so much for you to learn.”

“Oh god, you’re a furry, aren’t you? Is a lion your fursona or whatever? Holy shit, I can’t believe I went on a date with a furry!”

Phil rolled his eyes but laughed. “No, Dan! I’m not a furry! I just really like lions-”

“because you’re a furry.”

 Phil shook his head, a smile playing on his lips as he grabbed both of their empty hot chocolates. “and to think, I was going to make you a wonderful dinner of mushy spaghetti and moldy garlic bread.”

“What a shame I missed out on that.”

Phil went inside for a moment and got rid of their cups before going back out and grabbing Po’s leash. “You really did miss out. It looked disgusting.”

Dan stood up, accidentally waking up Po as well, who stood next to him looking up at Phil. “I guess I should let you two go.”

Phil smiled softly and reached over to rub Po’s head. “Yeah, I guess. The baby will get grumpy without his mid-morning nap.” Phil giggled.

“Po?”

“No, me.”

Both of the men laughed, reaching down towards Po and each scratching behind his ears.

“Okay, I guess I’ll let baby Philly get home for his nap time. See you soon?”

“Actually, no. I’m heading to London for a week to do some, uh, stuff for YouTube. I won’t be back until next Sunday night.”

Dan’s smile faltered momentarily. “Oh, well that’ll be fun! Are you taking Po?”

“No, he’ll be going back to my ex’s place.”

Dan nodded a bit, his chest suddenly feeling stiff and tight. “Cool. Well, have fun in London. Let me know when you’re back in town.”

“I will, maybe we can grab dinner when I get back?”

“Uh, yeah. Maybe.”

Phil sighed softly and looked down at Po, who had already laid back down on the pavement. “Can I walk you home?”

“No, it’s okay, really. You should get Po home.”

“Yeah, he’s probably salty because you stole his sofa crease last night.”

Dan chuckled softly. “The dog has his own spot on the sofa?”

“Dang right he does. It’s the ultimate cuddle and comfort seat, in his opinion. And it’s the perfect spot to watch pigeons on the balcony.”

“Guess you gotta go home and give him cuddles to make up for me stealing you last night.”

“Yeah, I guess. I’ll text you though, okay?”

Dan nodded a bit. “Okay, alright. Seeya.” He squatted down to Po’s level and pet at his back. “It was wonderful meeting you, slobbery boy.” Po replied with a lick to Dan’s other hand before Dan stood up and pulled away.

He waved to Phil one more time before turning to walk in the direction of his dorms.

Phil made it home with Po a while later, closing the apartment door behind him and taking the collar and leash off, hanging it up on the coat rack before following the fluff to the living room. He collected the popcorn bowls and pizza boxes from the night before and took them into the kitchen before going back out into the lounge and laying down where he was the previous night, Po already curled up in the spot that Dan occupied the night before.

Phil wrapped an arm around his pup, turning on the television as Po rested his head on Phil’s chest for a nap. “Oh Po, what am I gonna do…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like/Comment if you enjoyed, and follow me on tumblr at www.definitelynot-danielhowell.tumblr.com   
> <3


	5. Unseen Notifications

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo sorry this is shorter than usual, ive been going through personal shit and recently had to leave my job, and while i love writing, its hard to find motivation to write  
> i hope you enjoy

The next week, Dan starts going to the café less and less. With Phil not around to entertain him during long study nights, Dan doesn’t see much point in going. Instead, he resides in his dorm room, hidden away from school, his friends, his roommates. Everyone.

He does feel slightly guilty though. Since Phil had left, he had texted him a few times. Dan couldn’t muster up the energy or motivation to reply though, so instead, he stared at the pesky red bubble notifications on his messages application.

Phil had never really said what he was going to London for, besides vaguely saying it was for YouTube. That confused Dan though, wasn’t the point of YouTube that you could work from home?

Either way, Dan had become increasingly lonely. He knew it would help to return Phil’s texts, but something inside of him kept telling him that it was a bad idea, that Phil was too busy for him.

_You’re really dense, aren’t you?_ Dan could hear Phil saying in the back of his mind. His imaginary Phil had a plastered on grin and his hair pushed back into a quiff. He was quite handsome generally, but imaginary Phil in Dan’s brain was somehow even more attractive. Maybe it was just the fact that Dan was missing him, or the fact that Dan hasn’t gotten laid in…an embarrassingly long time.

Dan missed Phil a lot, though. More than he could ever remember missing another person, which was terrifying considering the short amount of time they had known each other.

Dan was just craving his voice, honestly. The random blabbering of Phil’s current interests and what he had been getting up to day-to-day. Dan knew realistically, he could just call Phil and get the update on what he was doing and mindlessly listen to him ramble on about London, but no matter how hard Dan tried, he couldn’t bring himself to actually _call_ him.

Instead, Dan grabbed his laptop from its charging spot on his nightstand and went to safari on his Mac. Phil had never technically _told_ Dan what his YouTube account was, but, he also never said Dan _couldn’t_ watch his videos.

That’s how Dan ended up deep in Google searches. It barely took him 5 minutes of searching different key words before he found a YouTube channel with his black-haired friend in every thumbnail.

Guilt clawed in his stomach, but he pushed those feelings down and wrapped his duvet around himself tighter as he clicked play on the first video he saw. He binged silly little short videos for a few hours before he slowly drifted off to sleep, still not responding to any of Phil’s texts.

A few days after Phil’s last text, Dan hears nothing at all from him. No calls, no texts, nothing. It makes Dan worry even more, but he figured that Phil either got bored of him finally or was actually busy.

Dan stops watching his YouTube videos, too. He finds himself unable to push down the guilt he feels from not replying to Phil’s messages and calls. He’s completely surrounded by silence for so long.

Da recalled Phil saying he would be back home Sunday, but he didn’t know a time, so Dan anxiously waited around his phone, though he wasn’t entirely convinced himself that he was even going to answer it.

Finally, around 9pm, a text comes through.

Phil:

  _home_

Dan panicked but still swiped the text open. He took a few moments to collect his thoughts before replying.

Dan:

_can i come ovr?_

It wasn’t really polite to invite yourself over, Dan realized, but those thoughts quickly washed away when he got a quick reply.

Phil:

_Yeah of course_

_Can I just ask u something?_

Dan:

_yeah of course_

Phil:

_Are u mad at me?_

_Its just_

_You went like, all week without replying_

Dan:

_Can we just talk when I get there? I’m calling a cab now_

Phil:

_Still not inclined to make the walk?_

Dan:

_Never. Again._

Phil:

_fair enough tbh, im gonna shower but ill leave the door unlocked, just come in_

Dan didn’t reply as he climbed into the cab waiting out front of his residence. He hadn’t even grabbed a jacket or a hat, just wanting to see Phil again. Dan wasn’t quite sure how he was feeling, though. Did he really want to see Phil, or was Phil just filling an empty void in his heart temporarily? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> come say hi at www.definitelynot-danielhowell.tumblr.com


	6. Filler Episodes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so I'm going through my different fics and deciding whether to scrap them or finish them, and I'm deciding just to put this one to rest (for now) and call it complete. There's always a chance that I'll come back, but for now I'm gonna step away so there's no pressure to finish it.   
> Love you all!

Dan arrived at Phil’s place and raised his fist to knock on the door, before recalling Phil’s text

_ill leave the door unlocked, just come in_

So, he did just that. He opened the door and stepped into Phil’s quaint apartment once again, but this time he was bombarded with the big fluffy mass.

Before he could even slip off his shoes, Dan was on the hardwood floor rubbing Po’s belly. He missed the presence of a dog in his life. His family was too far away for him to see Colin regularly.

“I’m shocked he warmed up to you so quickly.” Phil’s voice from the left of him and Po, and _oh_. _That’s a very naked Phil._

“Why’s that shocking? I’m spectacular mate, I dunno what you’re talking about.”

Phil laughed softly at that, grabbing at one of the three towels he was all wrapped up in and moved to use it to dry his hair. A small, fond smile played on his lips. “You’re right, I’m the crazy one here.”

“Damn right.” Dan got off the floor, much to Po’s dislike, and leaned against the wall. He was trying his hardest not to blatantly check Phil out, but he couldn’t resist letting his eyes trail over the splattering of freckles and moles across his neck, chest and shoulders. Dan was certain there were probably hundreds more hidden under the towel that was hanging off around his shoulders. “So, how was London?”

“Pretty fun, actually. Lot’s of things recorded, lots of drinking, saw lots of other creators. It was a really nice time.”

“How about you go put on some actual clothes and get out of your towel fortress, and then we chat about it?”

“What, you is my beauty too overwhelming for you, Howell?” A smirk played on his lips.

“Definitely. Now go get dressed, dipshit.”

Phil walked off as Dan turned to go over to the living room. The seat he had been in the previous time was now occupied by Po, so Dan made a sacrifice…and stole Phil’s usual seat. Po didn’t seem to mind, sprawling out on the couch with his head resting in Dan’s lap, his big beautiful blue eyes staring up at him as his tongue drooped out the side of his mouth. He looked kind of derpy, but in the cutest way possible.

Phil returned a few minutes later, beads of water still clinging to the ends of his stark black hair. He was dressed now, and Dan couldn’t decide if he was grateful for that, or disappointed. He had on comfy looking joggers with ‘YORK U’ running down the side of one leg, and a pixel Pokémon t-shirt.

Phil sat on the other side of Po, kicking his feet up onto the coffee table and leaning back into the couch. “So, are we gonna talk about why you were radio silent?”

Dan rubbed Po’s ear softly between his forefinger and thumb, chewing the inside of his cheek. “I was more hoping we could put on a film.”

Phil smiled, the faintest hint of smile lines around his eyes. “I missed you, you dummy.” He reached over and grabbed Dan’s hand that was fiddling with Po’s ears, grasping it and slotting their fingers together.

Dan let his eyes drift to their hands, his insides feeling funny. “I missed you too…” He whispered. How could one man being away for only a week have this much of an affect on him already?

“We can compromise. I’ll put on F.R.I.E.N.D.S, and when there’s a boring filler episode, we’ll chat through that?”

Dan’s lips twitched, the edges curling up into a smile, gently squeezing Phil’s hand. “Deal. Though isn’t every episode basically a filler?”

“Watch your mouth, Howell. Don’t insult F.R.I.E.N.D.S.”

They got through about three episodes of the comedy, their fingers intertwined throughout with neither of them making any move to pull away. Eventually, the show comes to a lull and Phil gives his hand a gentle squeeze.

“So, it’s time?” Dan asked softly.

“It is.”

They were both silent, the show humming in the background quietly. Dan could feel Phil’s eyes watching him as he stared down into the endless white abyss of Po’s fur.

“So?” Phil pushed ever so gently.

“I missed you…”

“I did too, I missed you loads, Dan. That’s why I texted you a bunch of times.”

“But then you stopped…”

“I did.”

“You gave up…”

Phil’s heart hurt as he squeezed Dan’s hand, pulling it up to his lips to kiss the back of softly. “I would _never_ give up on you, Dan.”

“But…you stopped.”

“I stopped because I figured I was annoying and pestering you while you were trying to study or go to classes or hanging out with friends.” Dan snorted. He didn’t have friends. Not real ones, at least.

“I don’t think I left the house once while you were gone.”

“What? What about your classes?”

Dan shrugged, gnawing at his lower lip. “I just…couldn’t. There was no reason to, no motivation to. It was like I was chained to my bed because there was no purpose in me getting up and going anywhere…”

Phil frowned a bit and stood up, gently grabbing Dan’s other hand and tugging him up. Once Dan was on his feet, Phil sat in his spot and pulled him into his lap. “Damn dog gets in the way of cuddles.”

“He’s just trying to get all your cuddles, you were gone for a week.”

“Yeah, but you were also deprived of my cuddles for a week, too.”

Dan smiled and leaned into Phil’s chest, resting his head on his shoulder. “You just want my cuddles because you knew you could get away with stealing my spot.”

“Actually, it’s _my_ spot, but yeah that’s part of it.” Phil giggled. The tips of his fingers gently ran over Dan’s ribs, trying to memorize the dips and curves of the man in his lap.

Dan let his eyes slide closed, relaxing against him and sighing.

Phil turned his head to press his lips gently to his forehead. “I would never give up on you, Dan.” He repeated softly.

“There’s….I’m just so much. Everyone gives up eventually when they get fed up with my bullshit.”

“Can I ask a question?”

“Go for it, mate.”

“You want this, right? Like, us?”

Dan was silent for a moment, his fingers twisting Phil’s shirt at the hem. “Yes…”

“That sounded hesitant.”

He sighed and sat up a bit, looking Phil in the eyes. “I do want this. You. But I’m not lying when I said people get fed up with my bullshit. What if I can’t be enough for you?”

Phil reached up to gently push the younger boy’s hair away from his eyes before letting his hand curl down to cup and caress his cheek. “That isn’t possible. You’re already more than I deserve. I honestly never thought I had a chance with you.”

Dan leaned into Phil’s gentle touch and closed his eyes. “But I can get…bad, sometimes. Irritable and miserable and snappy, what about then Phil? What if you can’t stand me then?” His voice cracked softly.

“We’ll deal with that when we get there. We all have bad days, Dan. And bad days are easier when you have someone there to make sure you aren’t laying in bed covered in crisp crumbs and stinking of B.O.”

“That sounds like my typical Sunday afternoon, I feel like you’re attacking me right now.”

Phil giggled softly, letting the thumb caressing Dan’s cheek dip into the dimple. “I want this with you. The good times, the bad times. I willing to put myself into this as long as you want to, too.”

Dan smiled. “I want to.”

Phil smiled back at him, letting his gaze drop away from his eyes and down to his lips briefly before pulling him back against his chest. He wrapped his long, lanky arms around Dan and kissed the top of his hair. “Back to F.R.I.E.N.D.S?”

“Nah, I wanna hear about your London adventures.”

“You sure? It might be a bit boring.”

“I’m positive. Plus, listening to you takes a whole lot less energy than actually speaking to you.”

Phil chuckled softly and began rubbing circles around his back slowly. “Where should I start?”

“The beginning is a good place, mate.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out my Tumblr [dip-the-pip](https://dip-the-pip.tumblr.com/)


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